Defund the US Military and Rebuild the United States
Entire sectors of the economy are now invested in a state of permanent war and surveillance. Here’s what it would mean to defund the US military and put that money to meeting human need instead.
19241 Articles by: Opal Lee
Opal Lee is a writer.
The Fighting Between Armenia and Azerbaijan Has Halted — But a Deep-Rooted Conflict Remains
This morning, Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed to a cease-fire after almost two weeks of fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. But like after the last truce in 1994, there can be no enduring peace without a political solution — one that overcomes the violent legacy of the Soviet collapse in the Caucasus.
We Can’t Ignore Rural Voter Resentment
Political scientist Katherine J. Cramer has studied the changing political attitudes of rural Wisconsinites — a group that helped put Donald Trump in the White House. “Rural resentment” may not get much attention, but it’s a real and powerful force in US politics.
Most Oil Workers Haven’t Heard of the “Just Transition” — But They Do Want To Save Our Planet
While the Green New Deal argues for a “just transition” for fossil fuel industry workers, a new study shows few such workers have heard of the term. Workers can play a decisive role in greening the economy — but only if their own concerns and expertise are central to the transition process.
The New John Brown Series Is as Good as You’d Hoped
Ethan Hawke’s The Good Lord Bird is the thrilling cinematic depiction of radical abolitionist John Brown that we’ve been waiting for.
The Colonial Contradictions of Albert Camus
French writer Albert Camus has become an iconic figure, celebrated by everyone from Emmanuel Macron to George W. Bush. But the idealized public image of Camus as a liberal humanist does not reckon honestly with the impact of French colonialism on his work.
East Bay Health Care Workers Are Striking Against Austerity and for Public Control
Workers in Alameda County, California’s public health system say they have long struggled under austerity and mismanagement. They are currently on strike, demanding safe working and patient care conditions, and democratic accountability for a health system that should serve the needs of the public.
“Being Just ‘Democrat’ or ‘Progressive’ Means Nothing. It Provides No Direction.”
Erika Uyterhoeven is a democratic socialist, a former Bernie Sanders staffer, and the Democratic nominee for a Massachusetts state representative seat. In an interview with Jacobin, Uyterhoeven talks about how the Sanders campaigns impacted her, the broad left coalition that won her the nomination, and why it’s important to openly embrace being a socialist.
The Pennsylvania GOP Is Undermining Its Own Vote-By-Mail Reforms For Trump
Donald Trump wants to suppress the vote, and Pennsylvania Republican lawmakers want to help him — by limiting the vote-by-mail system they themselves helped create in 2019.
Want to Know What a Return to “Normal” Will Look Like? Stare Into Mike Pence’s Dead Eyes.
Mike Pence spent the vice presidential debate lying, rule-breaking, and selling the Trump agenda, but he did so unburdened by Donald Trump’s chaotic personal behavior — and the political establishment on both sides of the aisle swooned.
No, the Nazis Were Not Socialists
The idea that the Nazis were socialists is transparently absurd. Unfortunately, it’s also an idea that prominent figures on the Right like Sen. Rand Paul have taken up. So let’s all say it together now: no, the Nazis were not socialists. They were, in fact, committed anti-socialists.
The True Story of MK-Ultra and the CIA Mad Scientist
In its search for the perfect mind-control technique, the CIA carried out horrifying tests on unwitting humans. The story of programs like MK-Ultra is a chilling look at how the US government turned its own citizens into guinea pigs — and destroyed lives in the process.
Josh Frydenberg’s Budget Takes From the Poor to Give to the Rich
Instead of providing sorely needed stimulus, the 2020 budget from Australia’s Coalition government transfers wealth toward millionaires and big business and away from the poor, the unemployed, women, and the government’s ideological enemies.
What’s Really Driving the Azerbaijan-Armenia Conflict
The bloody conflict that has erupted between Azerbaijan and Armenia isn’t the result of ancestral hatreds or deep-seated animosity between Muslims and Christians. It is the product of a long history of colonialism, nationalism, and authoritarianism.
Wisconsin’s Teachers Didn’t Have a Gender Pay Gap — Until Scott Walker’s Anti-Union Assault
There was no gender pay gap among Wisconsin teachers until Scott Walker’s brutal assault on the state’s public sector unions almost a decade ago. Now women teachers are earning less than men. It’s yet more proof: unions empower women.
Donald Trump Got Great Government Health Care. We All Deserve the Same.
Days after attacking socialized medicine during the presidential debate, Donald Trump received government health care to treat his coronavirus. Former Bernie Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver argues that we all deserve the type of high-quality public care the president received.
Greece’s Nazi Golden Dawn Has Finally Been Ruled a Criminal Organization
After decades of murderous attacks on migrants and leftists, on Wednesday, a Greek court ruled that Golden Dawn is a criminal organization. The verdict is a triumph for victims, and for the minorities targeted by the neo-Nazi party — and it will embolden the resistance against still-active far-right forces.
At the Vice Presidential Debate Last Night, No One Mentioned Defunding the Police
A generally lackluster face-off between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris last night served as a reminder that, despite this year’s unprecedented national uprising, neither Democrats nor (of course) Republicans are showing any sign of embracing the agenda of this year’s anti–police violence movement.
Kamala Harris Did Not Need to Tout Fracking Last Night
Polls show Pennsylvania voters support important restrictions on fracking. There was no reason for Kamala Harris to tout Joe Biden’s endorsement of fracking at the vice presidential debate last night or for Beltway journalists to claim the election hinges on the position.
College Administrators’ Dangerous COVID-19 Response Is Literally Killing Students
The response of university systems in states like North Carolina have been wildly inadequate to the coronavirus pandemic’s gravity. Students are now dying as a result.